The incident was reported when 25-year-old Vinod Kumar alias Sonu from Bhagi Bhander village visited the Talwandi Sabo after being released from jail
In a horrific incident exposing drug menace in Punjab, residents of a village in Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda took the law into their hands and lynched an alleged drug peddler by chopping off his hand and foot.
The incident was reported when 25-year-old Vinod Kumar alias Sonu from Bhagi Bhander village visited the Talwandi Sabo after being released from jail. He was facing cases under the The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS).
On Thursday, some residents were on their way to submit a complaint to the DSP against him, when Sonu intercepted them. Following a heated argument, the mob attacked him using sharp-edged weapons and chopped off his hand and foot. A video recording of the incident, where he is seen lying on the road grievously injured and surrounded by the villagers, has gone viral on social media.
He was taken to the Talwandi Sabo hospital by the police, which referred him to Bathinda Civil Hospital. However, his situation worsened and he was referred to Faridkot Medical College and Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries few hours later.
"We had registered a case under Section 307 (attempt to murder) which has now been converted to 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against identified persons," said Station House Officer (SHO), Talwandi Sabo, adding arrests would be made after identification.
The family members of the deceased who denied that he was a drug peddler, refused to cremate the body, demanding action against the villagers who lynched him to death.
However SP Bathinda, Bhupinder Singh told DNA, "The deceased's (Sonu) father is behind bars as he is also facing cases under the NDPS Act. The cremation would be done on Saturday after his father comes out on parole. The necessary permission has been taken from the Court."
The incident led the Opposition to mount its attack on the ruling Congress government in the state for its campaign to end drug menace. "Such us the state of Punjab under the new government, that people have been compelled to take law into their hands after no action is taken by the government or the police," said SAD MP from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
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